Charles the Elder from Žerotín

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Charles the Elder from Žerotín

Charles the Elder of Žerotín ( Czech Karel starší ze Žerotína ; older spelling ze Zierotina ; born September 15, 1564 in Brandeis an der Adler , Chrudimer district ; †  November 9, 1636 in Prerau , Margraviate Moravia ) came from the Bohemian-Moravian noble family Zierotin / Žerotín ( Žerotínové , older spelling Zierotinové ). He belonged to the gentry and was governor of Moravia from 1608–1615 as a leading state politician. He also wrote several writings. On his property he protected the unity of the Bohemian Brethren .

Life

Karl von Žerotín was the son of the chief judge of Moravia, John of Žerotín the Elder. Ä. († 1583). Karl first attended the school of the Bohemian Brothers in Eibenschütz and then continued his studies at the Academy in Strasbourg and the University of Basel . There and on various educational trips to Western European countries and Italy, he acquired broad knowledge of law, theology and several foreign languages ​​from 1578 to 1587. He also made numerous political connections during this time.

After the death of his father in 1583, he inherited Namiest on the Oslawa , where he arranged for the castle library to be expanded, and Rossitz , which became an important center for the Bohemian brothers during his reign. He set up an extensive library at Rossitz Castle, which he made his residence. In 1588 he acquired the town of Holleschau near Kremsier , which had developed into a base for the Bohemian brothers in the previous decades.

In 1591 he fought on the side of the Huguenots in France . In 1594 he became a member of the Moravian Land Law , the highest court of the margravate. With Moravian troops he also went to Hungary in the Long Turkish War (1593–1606). At that time Žerotín became the leader of the estates opposition to Emperor Rudolf II in Moravia. In 1599 he was sued by the Moravian underland treasurer Siegmund von Dietrichstein, alleging that he had embezzled imperial property and had contacts with France and the Elector Palatinate . He was acquitted, but removed from office nonetheless. For the following years he lived in seclusion on his property.

In the Habsburg fraternal dispute in 1607, Karl took the side of Archduke Matthias , who wanted to take the crowns of Bohemia and Hungary as well as the empire from his brother Rudolf . Under Žerotín's leadership, the Moravian estates formed a confederation with Hungary and the Austrian states, which were also opposed to Emperor Rudolf II. Together with Matthias, these countries took military steps against the head of the Reich. Karl tried unsuccessfully to pull Bohemia over to Matthias' side. In the Peace of Love , Rudolf II finally had to cede rule over Moravia to his brother Matthias, while he was able to keep Bohemia and the imperial dignity until 1611.

As governor of Moravia, Karl von Žerotín had reached the height of his career in 1608. In this function he managed to secure the freedom of religion of the Moravian Protestants for a few years. But he was increasingly put under pressure by influential Catholics at the emperor's court and at the same time lost support in the Moravian estates, which is why he resigned from his office in 1615.

After the second lintel in Prague in 1618, Charles von Žerotín returned to active politics. He advocated a peaceful solution to the conflict between the Bohemian estates and the Habsburgs and took part in the negotiations in Vienna until March 1619. Emperor Matthias died during the negotiations. After the radical Protestant opposition had prevailed in Moravia with the help of Czech weapons, Karl von Žerotín was placed under house arrest.

After the election of the “Winter King” Frederick V in 1619 as the new King of Bohemia, the Moravian Estates paid homage to the newly elected king on February 6, 1620 in the Brno Jesuit Church. Since Karl von Žerotín felt bound by the oath he had given to Ferdinand II , he refused to pay homage.

After the Battle of White Mountain in 1620, Emperor Ferdinand II pursued a rapid Counter-Reformation , the concept of which came from the Nuncio Carafa and the Jesuits . In 1621/22 all non-Catholic clergymen had to leave the country, and in 1624 the Catholic profession of the only recognized religion was raised. As a result, all non-Catholic citizens were given the choice of either becoming Catholic or emigrating. Charles of Žerotín was allowed to keep his lands, although all Protestant nobles who did not convert were expropriated, even if they were not involved in the uprising against the emperor. His much younger brother-in-law Albrecht von Wallenstein , with whose sister Žerotín was briefly married and whom he had supported and encouraged in his youth, held his protective hand over him. During this time, Karl financially supported many victims of recatholicization in Bohemia. It was thanks to him that the printing works of the Brothers Unity could be relocated from Namiest on the Oslawa to Lissa in Poland and their Kralitz library to Wroclaw . In 1629 he sold his goods to Albrecht von Wallenstein and voluntarily went into exile in the more religiously tolerant Breslau, but visited Bohemia and Moravia several times. From 1633 he lived in Prerau , where he died in 1636. His body was buried in the family crypt in Groß Ullersdorf and in 1842 transferred to the Žerotín crypt near St. George's Church in Blauda .

“Karl von Zierotin - better: Žerotín - was the head of one of the noblest, richest and most pious houses of the margravate.”

- Golo Mann : Wallenstein. His life is told by Golo Mann . Fischer, Frankfurt / Main 1971, ISBN 3-10-047903-3 , p. 79.

Works

  • Apology - written as a letter to Jiřík von Hoditz ( z Hodic ), who criticized Karl for his passivity. In this work he criticizes the conditions in Bohemia, the egoism of the estates and the court.
  • Oratio De Comparanda vera Gloria. Argentorati 1581.
  • Brandl, Vincenc (ed.): Spisy Karla staršího z Žerotína. [The writings of Charles of Žerotín]
    • Vol. 1,1 and 1,2: Žerotínovi zápisové o soudě panském. Brno 1866.
    • Vol. 2,1 and 2,3: Listové psaní jazykem českým. Brno 1870–1872.

Marriages and offspring

Daughter: Bohunka von Žerotín, ⚭ 1st with Hynek von Würben (1589–1614), ⚭ 2nd around 1617 with Sigmund Teuffenbach von Tiefenbach († 1637)
Daughter: Alena from Žerotín
  • 3. Marriage August 17, 1604 with: Kateřina Anna von Waldstein auf Arnau , (* 1584; † August 9, 1605), sister of Wallenstein
  • 4. Marriage June 22, 1614 with: Kateřina von Waldstein , (* 1568; † February 1, 1637)

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Benita Berning: After all laudable use. The Bohemian royal coronations of the early modern period (1526–1743) . Böhlau Verlag, Cologne / Weimar / Vienna 2008, ISBN 978-3-412-20082-4 , pp. 71 and 148.
  2. ↑ Winfried Eberhard: Historical introduction to handbook hist. Sites, S. XCI.
  3. ↑ [1]
  4. ↑ [2]

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Žerotín, Charlemagne from
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Žerotína, Karel starší ze; Žerotína, Karel ze
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Bohemian and Moravian nobleman, governor of Moravia, class politician and author
DATE OF BIRTH September 15, 1564
PLACE OF BIRTH Brandýs nad Orlicí , Chrudim district
DATE OF DEATH November 9, 1636
Place of death Přerov , Margraviate of Moravia